Idaho judges will get pay boost

COEUR d’ALENE — Idaho judges will see a pay increase beginning this summer.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 322 in late March. The legislation, which takes effect July 1, equates to about a 10% raise across the board for magistrate, district, appellate and Supreme Court judges. 

This means Supreme Court justices will earn almost $187,000 per year. District judges will earn more than $170,000 per year and magistrate judges will earn nearly $165,000 annually. 

“This issue is not simply about pay,” said Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan. “It’s about attracting the best and the brightest attorneys to hear our public's legal disputes. It is about continuing to provide Idahoans with the best judges possible by making judicial service a more realistic option.” 

In 2022, the Idaho Supreme Court surveyed attorneys of the Idaho State Bar and current and retired judges about their thoughts on judicial selection, seeking to identify why district court vacancies have received fewer highly qualified applicants in recent years. 

“Inadequate compensation and benefits” were among the most common concerns about judicial positions, cited by almost 10% of respondents. 

“Idaho's judicial salaries currently rank near the bottom nationally,” Bevan said. “Attorneys have told us for some time now that fair compensation is one obstacle to them considering judicial service. Now, we're seeing judges leaving office not at the end of their careers, but to return to other outside work — an unusual step.” 

Before the pay increase was signed into law, Idaho lagged behind neighboring states in pay for judges, according to data from the Idaho Supreme Court. 

For example, district judges earned a little more than $155,000 annually in Idaho, compared to $228,00 in Washington, $185,000 in Oregon and $171,000 in Wyoming. Only one neighboring state paid district judges less: Montana, with an annual salary of almost $149,000. 

In Idaho, judges must be at least 30 years of age and must be legal residents of Idaho for at least two continuous years. They must have held a license to practice law or held a judicial office for at least 10 continuous years and must have been in good standing as an active or judicial member of the Idaho state bar for at least two continuous years. 

Candidates with many years of experience can often earn more outside the judiciary than within it. More than half the responding attorneys with more than 20 years’ membership in the Idaho State Bar reported earning more than $130,000 annually, while 40% earned more than $165,000 annually. 

Bevan said the increase provided by Idaho lawmakers this year is a “welcome start” to an ongoing conversation about pay for judges. 

“We hope that our judges will see this as a good step forward and that they will see the judiciary as a place they want to make a career,” he said. “We hope that attorneys will be more inclined to pursue opportunities for judicial service. But after studying what attorneys are paid in this state and judicial pay in our neighboring states, we do believe we will need to do more regarding salaries. We expect to return next January to continue this conversation with our friends in the Legislature.” 

The pay increases will take effect soon after the First Judicial District, comprised of the five northern counties, selects two magistrate judges. 

The First Judicial District Magistrates Commission will meet May 16 to select two judges to replace Judge John Cafferty, who Idaho Gov. Brad Little appointed as a district judge in February, and Judge Anna Eckhart, who will retire in June. The commission will consider 12 area candidates for the magistrate positions.